Dr. Roland Hischier

Current Position
  • Head of research group ALCA - Advancing Life Cycle Assessment
Area of Expertise

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Environmental Footprint, Material Flow Analysis (MFA), Substance Flow Analysis, Circular Economy, Nanotechnology, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Electric Mobility, Waste Electric and Electronic Equipement (WEEE)

 

Membership in National and International Committees
  • Member of the Board of ecoinvent (since 2013);
  • President of the Board of ecoinvent (since 07/2016);
  • Associate Editor for the Journal "Environmental Impact Assessment Review" (since 2015);
  • Member of the Jury of the "Swiss Packaging Award", responsible for sustainability aspects (since 2010);
  • Member of the Board of Assocation organising the Swiss LCA Discussion Forum Series (since 2007);
  • Swiss National Delegate, COST Action 530 “Sustainable Materials Technology - Life Cycle Inventories for Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing Processes” (2003 - 2005);
  • Swiss take-back systems for WEEE, member of the SENS and Swico autitor teams (2001 - 2006).
Teaching (selected)
  • „Integrierte Disziplin Ökobilanzen“, D-ARCH ETH, Zürich (Switzerland) / lecturer (in English);
  • University of St. Gallen (HSG), contextual studies, course "Bedingt die Energiewende eine Rohstoffwende?" (Master's level) / guest lecturer (in German);
  • University of St. Gallen (HSG), contextual studies, course "Auf dem Weg zu einer Kreislaufwirtschaft" (Bachelor’s level) / guest lecturer (in German);
  • University of Applied Sciences Rapperswil (HSR), WERZ Institute for knowledge, MAS Energie und Ressourceneffizienz  / lecturer (in German);
  • "Integrated Environmental Protection" in the Master of Engineering Course “Packaging Technology” of IPI (International Packaging Institute) in cooperation with University of Applied Sciences in Constance (Germany), Zurich University of Applied Sciences Winterthur (Switzerland) and Michigan State University – School of Packaging (USA), Schaffhausen (Switzerland) / lecturer (in English);
  • “Ökologie und Nachhaltigkeit der Verpackung” in Bachelor Course “Lebens­mitteltechnologie” at HAFL (Berner Fachhochschule, Hochschule für Agrar-, Forst- und Lebensmittelwissenschaften), Zollikofen (Switzerland) / lecturer (in German).
Publications
Here is a list of the most recent publications of Roland Hischier.
Curriculum Vitae

Professional Career

01/16 – present

Head “Advancing Life Cycle Assessment" (ALCA) Group of the Technology & Society Labora­tory at Empa, St. Gallen (Switzerland)

12/07 – 12/15

Scientist in the Groups “Life Cycle Assessment & Modelling” (12/07-04/13) resp. “Environmental Risk Assessment & Management” (05/13-12/15) of the Technology & Society Laboratory at Empa, St. Gallen (Switzerland)

02/08 – 11/12

Deputy Manager for the ecoinvent Centre, c/o Empa, St. Gallen (Switzerland)

01/04 – 12/07

Co-Head of Group “Life Cycle Assessment" of the Technology & Society Labora­tory at Empa, St. Gallen (Switzerland)

 

01/00 – 12/03

Project manager in the department Ecology (01/00-11/00) resp. in the Sustainable Information Technology Unit (from 11/00 on) at Empa, St. Gallen (Switzerland)

09/96 – 01/00

Environmental Engineer in the Department ECOSystems of Sulzer Innotec Ltd., Winterthur (Switzerland)

05/96 – 07/96

Scientific employee in the group ESU (energy-materials-environment) of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zürich (Switzerland)

 

Education

10/06 – 03/13

PhD thesis @ Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zürich & Empa, St. Gallen (Switzerland). Supervision: Prof. S. Hellweg, ETH/Prof. B. Nowack, Empa

 

Thesis title: “Life Cycle Assessment of Manufactured Nanomaterials: Inventory Modelling Rules and Application Example”

11/90 – 03/96

Degree Course in Environmental Sciences @ Swiss Federal Institute of Techno­logy (ETH) Zürich (Switzerland), with specialisation in Atmospheric Chemistry

 

Diploma thesis: “Trace analysis of halogenated acetic acids” within the group of Prof. R. Schwarzenbach @ the Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology (EAWAG), Dübendorf (Switzerland)

 

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Dr. Roland Hischier

Empa
Technology & Society Laboratory
Lerchenfeldstrasse 5
CH-9014 St. Gallen
Tel.: +41 58 765 78 47

roland.hischier@empa.ch